RESUMO
AIMS: Spore germination requires microscopic observation whereas fungal growth results in a macroscopic examination. This paper aims at establishing a relationship between the percentage of germinated spores and parameters easily available from visible development. METHODS AND RESULTS: About 225 spores of Mucor racemosus were inoculated on PDA medium and incubated at 15 degrees and 25 degrees C. Germination kinetics were modelled by a logistic function. Fungal development provided two parameters, a growth rate, micro, and a lag period, lambda, defined as the slope of the straight line of the graph radius (mm) vs time (h) and the intercept of this line with the X-axis, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the lag period coincided with the completion of the germination process, although the number of spores inoculated should be controlled carefully. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Providing that this result can be generalized, this procedure would constitute a significant breakthrough for predicting food spoilage by moulds.
